Air moistener



Feb-

1,573,690 c. E. EDWARDS AIR MOISTENER Filed Sept. 19. 1921 @zgan/Wag.

iratenied Feb. 16, 192e.

- 'UNITED STAT-Esi y 7 I CHLRLES EMMETT EDWARDS, F GALIOISI',- OHIO.

AIR MOISTENER. y s

l To all whm'n/ it may concern.' l f Be it known-that I, CHARLES E. EDWARDS,

a citizen of the United States, residing aty Galion, in the county of Crawford and Statey of Ohio, have invented certain' new and useful Improvements lin, ir- Moisteners, `of which the following is a specification'.

This invention relates to an improved air moistener and has as one of its principal vobjects to provide a device of this characte'r for supplyinga ow, of moistened air to an internal. combustlon engine to be mingledl with the fuel mixture for increasing the combustibility thereof and accord- 15 inglyincreasing theV efficiency of the engine.

device mounted upon thedash of a motor vehicle, a portion -of the intake `manifold of the vehicle engine being alsol illustrated.

'Figure 2 is a .detail side elevation show-- ing the manner in which the container of the device is removed from the supporting bracket therefor, l

. Figure 3 is a vertical sectionalview taken.

Amedially through thedevice, Figure 4. is' a planview of employed in connection with the container,

Figure 5 isa fragmentary elevation look@ ling at the rearof thesuppcn'ting cup for the container,andb f Figure 6 is a detaill section takemthrogh the ball head of the supportingV bracket.3

.v In carrying the invention into effect2 I 'employ a bracket comprising a, base portion K 10 which is formed to s eat fiat against the vehicle dash, as conventionally illustrated at 11, the base ,ortion being provided with suitable openings therethrough to receive screws or other appropriate fastening de'- vices securing the bracket to the dash.I Rising from' the base portion is a forwardly.-

inclined arm 12 upon the free'end of which is formed Ia spherical head 13. Asl bestr Application led September 19, 1921. Serial No. 501,590.

the top ring shown in Figure 3, the head is provided with a discharge passage 14E opening through the lower side of the head as well as the front side thcrepf and' leading from the passage 14 at the junction between the angularly disposed portions thereof is an auxiliaryair inlet passage 15. Threaded into the passage y* 15 at its outer end is an auxiliary air inlet valve 17 of appropriate construction and con- 65 nected with the plug of said valve is a rod 18 leading to the instrument board of the vehicle or other lpoint convenient to the drivers seat. Connected at one end with the passage 1 4 1s a discharge pipe 19, the opposite end of'which is, as shown in Figure 1, connected with the intake manifold of the vehicle engine, the manifold being conventionally shownY at 20. The ipe 19 may, as suggested, ententhe trun of the manifold or may be connected thereto atany other approved point vbetween the'engine carbureter and the engine. Depending from the base portion l0 of the bracket is a forwardly inclined short arm 21 formed at its lower end.'v with a sleeve 22 and extending through said sleeve to projectat opposite ends therebf isdafpin 23. `Associated with\said pin is a holder for the container of .the device including a substantially U-shaped i supporting spring 24.- This spring is preferably4 formed' from' a length of suitable resilient wire, the sides thereof being` coiled around the ends of the pin 23 while the connect-` ing portion between the sides ofsaid spring is arranged to seat'in a transverse'groove 25' formed in the rear flat face of the base portion `of the bracket. At their free end portions the `sides of the spring are bent to extend horizontally forward beneath th head 13 of. the bracket andm'ounted upon said spring is an annular base cup '26. At

its lower side this cup is formed with spaced depending ears 27 and, as will now4 be observed, the sides of the spring 24 are looped 100 atltheir free ends throughsaid ears for piv-y otall'y connecting the base cu with the y spring, the spring thus extendlng beneath l the base cup for normally supporting said. cup in horizontal position thereon. vFor1ned-105 on the rear face ofthe cup is, as particularlyshown in Figure 5, a reinforcing rib 29 at the ends of which are hooks 30 to coact with the -sides of the spring for locking the base cup against skewingy upon the spring. Projecting from the'forward' faceY of said cupA is a.l thumb lug 32.

fao

Removably supported by the base cup 26 is a container 33. As suggested insthe drawing, the container may be in the nature of an ordinary milk bottle and the base o cup is formed to snugly receive the lower end of the bottle. Mounted upon the container is an air intake fitting comprising a top ring 34 shaped to lit the mouth of the container and being dared to overhang the rim thereof. lFormed on the ring is a depending annular ange 35 extending into the mouth of the container and fitting in said mouth to surround said flange is a gasket ,36 confined beneath the ring. At itsupper end the ring istpr'ovided with an internal shoulder 37 and resting upon said shoulder is a gasket 38 coacting with the spherical head 13 ofthe bracket. Extending diametrically Vwithin the top ring is a hollow cross web or tube 39 at one end of which :is an air inlet passage 40 through the ring and depending from said web into the container is an air inlet pipe 41 extending to a point Inear the bottom lof the container. Threaded 25 upon the lower end of this pipe is an apertured cap 42. Removably connecting the air intake tting with the container is a clamping band 43. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, this clamping band is formed from 30 a length of suitable resilient wire connected at its ends and bent to provide a series of reversely presented loops extending in a direction parallel to the axis of the ring. The band is thus adapted to expand and con- 35 tract 'circumferentially and the loops thereof are bowed longitudinally to engage over lthe flared base portion of the ring 34 and 'beneath the rim of the container. When applied the band is, of course, distended circumferentially so that the band will thus act to clamp the top ring 34 upon the container while the loops thereof will tend to bind or clamp said ring downwardly against the rim of the container for compressing the gasket 36 and forming a sealed joint between said ring and the container, the band, 'of course, acting to center the ring with respect to the container. Also, in this connection, particular attention'4 is' directed to the fact that the spring 24 will serve to press upwardly against the bot-tom of the container for compressing the gasket 38 between the head 13 of the body member and the top ring `34 to 4form a closed joint between said head and the ring and similarly, the spring will also act to compress the gasket 36 between the ring and the container. Air tight -f joints will thus be maintained. Attention is now directedlto the fact that, as shown in Figure 2, the container may be removed by pressing downwardlyl upon the thumb 111g 32 until the sidewall of the base y cup 26 at the forward side of said cup clearsthe lower end of the container. The container may then be grasped and the lower end thereof shifted outwardly when the cup described, is, of course, reversed, the top ring 34 being first engaged with the head 13 of the bracket when the lower ,end of the container is then shifted into position within the base cup. Accordingly, the container may from time to time be easily filled with water and, as will now be seen, when the engine is running, engine suction in the vmanifold 2O will be communicated 'through the pipe 19 for drawing` in air through the passage 4() and through the pipe 41 into the container to rise through the body of water therein. will be moistened when the moistened air will be carried olf through the passage 14 and pipe 19 to the intake manifold to become mingled with the fuel mixture therein. The combustibility of the mixture will, as is well known, be thus increased, for increasin the efficiency of the engine. In order t at a supply of air in addition tothe Air so drawn into the container f mpistened air may be admitted to the manifold,I provide the valve 17. Bymanipulating the rod 18, this valve may be adjustably opened, as desired,for admitting fresh air -to the passage 14. This freshair will accordingly be drawn into the pipe 19 for augmenting the flow of moistened air andl within proper limits further increasing the combustibility of the fuel mixture. 1 accordingly provide ahighly ellicient device fory the purpose set forth and as will now be appreciated, a device which may be readily employedin connection with internal! combustion engines of substantially. any convention design.

Having thus described the invention, what fr is claimed as new is:

1. A device of the character described including a bracket having a head provided with an outlet passage, a container, an air intake fitting carried bythe 'container for supplying air thereto, a, clamping band surrounding the container coacting with said fitting for-securing the fitting upon the container, and means,v supporting the container to sustain said fitting coacting with the head, the container being in communication with said passage. I f

2. In an air moistener, the combination of a bracket provided with a head having an air outlet passage, a vliquid container provided at its upper end with a mouth confronting the head to communicate with said passage, a holder for the container carried .by the bracket and acting against the lower lll ting air to the container below the level of a liquid therein.

In an air moistener, the combination of a bracket provided with a head having an outlet passage, a liquid container provided at its upper end With a mouth confronting the head to communicate with said passage, a holder for the container carried by the bracket and acting against the lower end of the container for clamping the container between said holder and the head, means for admitting` air to the container, and manually controlled means upon the head for admitting auxiliary air to said outlet passage.

4. In an air moistener, the combination of a bracket provided with a head having an air outlet passage, a liquid container, a separate air intake fitting mounted upon the upper end of the container and mating with the. head to connect the container With said passage, said fitting being provided with means for discharging the intake of air below the level of a liquid in the container and -a holder for the container carried by the bracket and acting against the lower end ofthe container for clamping the container and fitting' between the head and holder as well as clamping the fitting upon the container.

5. In an air moistener, the combination of a bracket provided with a head having an outlet passage, a liquidv container, a freely removable ring mounted upon the container and mating with the head to connect the container with said passage,sa cross tube carried by the ring, the ring being provided with an air intake passage leading to the tube, an air intake pipe depending from the tube into the container, and a holder for the container carried by the bracket and acting against the lower end of the container for clamping the container and tting between the head and holder as well as clamping the fitting upon the container.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature.

CHARLES EMMETT EDWARDS. [L 8.] 

